Cinema Products CP-16 16mm sound movie camera: Neil Davis, war correspondent

Cinema Products CP-16 sound movie camera, taking 16mm film.

The body of the camera is of magnesium alloy, the right hand side featuring a space for the 'brick' style rectangluar Nicad battery pack (missing in this example); two three-pin inlet /outlet ports and a rugged lower adjustable handle which can either be locked in the horizontal position or set to any postion down to vertical. A locking pin allows adjustment. There is a exterior microphone holder (heavily taped with electrical tape) on top of the camera and a further carrying handle. The rear of the camera includes all the controls for the Crystasound system (sound level adjustments for various inputs including earphones, two audio inputs and a mixer, 3 switches and an 10 hole audio outlet jack) an a separate panel for the battery charger, battery test and a Run/Stop switch. There is a running counter with a red button for zeroing.

The left hand side of the camera includes a pulley for the film magazine drive (joined to the magazine pulley by a fabric band); a sliding knob for opening the drive door, which reveals the film transport pulleys (in white plastic), a Crystalsound magnetic head for recording sound and the shutter mechanism. The viewfinder is a dog-leg type on a long stalk relying on a beamspiltter to see the subject. The viewfinder joins to the base of the lens.

The lens is Angenieux Zoom Type 10x12A with a adjustment bar with a serial number 1255495. It is covered with a screwed metal lens cap bearing the impressed name 'P. ANGENIEUX / PARIS'.

The camera carries REL/16884 - a Mitchell Camera Corporation Medal 77D-469 (serial number 4754) twin spool 16mm x 400 film magazine. It is taped across the top with white cloth tape to prevent the lids from becoming loose, and carries a inscription on a white tape of '7240 / LOADED 24 APR '84' in blue biro.

The base of the camera has two different sized screw fittings for attaching a tripod.

Australian born Neil Davis worked first as a cameraman and war correspondent in Vietnam, Cambodia and generally in south-east Asia. Later he was bureau chief for NBC News Bangkok. He was killed in Bangkok in 1985.